We wake up Thursday morning to bright sunshine. After a good breakfast we get on the road. The day was planned to be a long one, plus Robin and Terry think about adding another 20 miles onto the route. We’re finally getting our act together and get on the road by 9:30.The first 25 miles were pretty easy as we followed the Russian River through the valley to Guerneville. At that point we had planned on going to Cazadero for lunch via Old Cazedero Rd but found that it was blocked off. Apparently the top 1 mile was impassable due to a rock slide some years ago. It had never been repaired. Consequently we had to wind ourselves a few more miles down the highway and then up Cazadero Hwy. This was really the back country.We found a nice spot for lunch just past Cazadero and I took over sag duties for the rest of the day.
There was an old bridge that connected Old Cazadero Rd with the road we took. We didn’t have to cross it, but I did manage a quick inspection. I’m sort of interested in the conditions of old bridges these days….
The rest of the day is uuuuup and doooowwn, uuuup and dooooowwwn. The boys ended up climbing 5000 ft in 60 miles. Ouch. The weather for the day was not as hot as some of the other days. The road was windy, steep, and narrow.
Plus we ran into some cows just lazily crossing the road. We hadn’t seen cows in the road since France a couple of years ago.
With about 25 miles to go, Terry and Robin make it to the edge of the ridge just before the descent to the ocean. It was getting late in the day and the fog was rolling in. The ridge is 1500 feet or so above sea level and the fog was rolling in at about 1000 ft. The temperature also started to drop so they took off.
I backtracked to find Dick and Dave and found them trudging along. When they get to where I had last seen Terry and Robin, Dave bails as the fog is too thick. Dick, however, continues on. We could barely see him sometimes so I made sure to follow with flashers and lights. He made it to the bottom with no problem so Dave and I start leapfrogging him and take some pictures along the seashore. The fog stayed at about 1000 ft. so driving and cycling was pretty easy.
With about 10 miles to go Dick bails as well as it is about 6:00 and starting to get dark. We only assumed Terry and Robin had made it to the hotel. We continue on to Bodega Bay and quickly find the hotel. Sure enough, Terry and Robin had just arrived and had just checked in.
Dinner included a good discussion about global warming and sustainable cultures. The restaurant closed long before we left and I think the staff were sort of glad to see us finally leave. Dick had a good statement about the human condition in the western civilized cultures: the US and EU economies are living a ‘3 planet’ culture where it would take 3 planets to sustain all 6 billion people of the earth at the rate the US and EU cultures are using the earth’s natural resources. That is the first time I had heard of that analogy, and it’s a good one.
Day totals:
- Start: Healdsburg
- End: Bodega Bay
- Distance: 83 miles
- Climbs: Over Coastal Range via Cazadera Hwy, Fort Ross Rd., and Meyer’s Grade Rd.
- Total gain: 6154 ft.